Reviews (39)

Wonderfully flavored baseball movie
What a fun movie! This film is a depiction of the 1919 Chicago WhiteSox who are alleged to have "fixed" the World Series that year against the Reds.

Here's what I loved about the film. The portrayal of Charlie Comisky, the White Sox owner is outstanding. I found myself quickly siding with the players from the outset and bristling at his obviously unethical and cheap approach. The time period depicted has a great "feel" to it. The baseball scenes are excellent and have a realistic feel as well. John Cusak and DB Sweeney are excellent as Buck Weaver and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson.

The portrayal of the newly appointed commisioner Kennisaw Mountain Landis is also excellent. After watching this film you will better understand the current situation with Pete Rose, and where his expulsion from baseball originates. If you are at all a baseball fan you will enjoy the film.

My only criticism is that too much film time is spent of the gangsters and the announcers. That was a little tedious, and limited the further character development of the players, the depiction of the game, the owners, and the era.

I recommend this film though easily to any baseball fan.

Great look into the White Sox world series of 1919
This movie examines the role of the Chicago White Sox in the famous White Sox world series scandal of 1919. I thought it was one of the most appreiciated baseball movies of all time. It deals with the corruption of gambling in sports and the temptations that this particular group of athletes had in throwing the world series. Watching this movie helped me understand why sports betting, for the most part, is the major corporation it is today.

John Cusak is wonderful as Shoeless Joe, one of the White Sox who does not want to go along with the scheme. This movie is very detailed: we get an inside point-of-view from the audience, mob, player and player's wife's perspective. It is a look at the conscience of the White Sox players who must either "sell out" and throw the World Series to make the extra buck and keep the sports sharks off their backs, or keep the integrity of the game intact by giving their all on the field and denying the prospects of more money.

I recommend this movie not only for baseball fans, but all movie junkies. It examines many of the sports issues that we deal with today, such as corruption, integrity of the sport, and gambling.

Sayles' masterpiece
It's difficult not to get your personal feelings called into play when watching an obviously slanted film like EIGHT MEN OUT. John Sayles, like Oliver Stone, is an obvious agit-prop master for the left or at least for labor in its battle against owners. But so are several others movie-makers. However, those others do not get the responses that Sayles has evoked because they don't have half the talent that Sayles possesses. There is no fence-sitting when watching his films, and that's because his visions and messages are clear, uncompromising and passionate. EIGHT MEN OUT is one of his highest achievements in those regards.

In his analysis of the rigging of the World Series of 1919, Sayles targets White Sox owner Comiskey as the true villain. And I believe this is accurate, if not justifiable, at the very least. The Black Sox scandal, as it came to be known, was undoubtedly the lowest point in baseball history, but it could have been avoided. Had Comiskey treated his players as they merited, it is doubtful any of it would have come about. This is not to say that these athletes were angelic: Sayles goes to great lengths to show that several of them would be easily corruptible, such as Chick Gandil (played by the underrated Michael Rooker). Other players seem to want to do the right thing, but are pushed too far by Comiskey--specifically, Eddie Cicotte, as portrayed by Sayles' favorite, David Strathairn. The enigmatic Shoeless Joe Jackson (subtly played by D.B. Sweeney) is just plain too dumb to understand the implications of his involvement. As others have noted, Jackson wound up the series' batting leader.

The real moral compass of EIGHT MEN OUT is Buck Weaver, played by John Cusack in what may have been the performance of his career. Sayles' Weaver is portrayed as the victim of the ultimate betrayal for not participating in the scheme. His teammates don't back him up. The courts do not defend him. The press lumps him together with the guilty. His only crime was not being a snitch. And for that, Weaver has basically been relegated to baseball history's limbo, in spite of an above-par career. Sayles does an admirable job in evoking a justified sympathy for Buck Weaver, and Cusack captures it beautifully.

EIGHT MEN OUT is not a mere baseball movie. Like much of Sayles' work, it's a film about greed, and the desire of American owners to extract as much from labor as possible, without giving anything in return.

P.S. -- Sayles does a great job of portraying writer Ring Lardner. I just wish he didn't sing!

How about a movie called...
How about if the film industry makes a movie called 'The Hammer'? Gee, they made 'Cobb, 'The Babe', 'Eight Men Out', 'Field of Dreams', 'The Pride of the Yankees', 'The Natural', and '61*'. Well, how about making a movie about Henry Aaron, Josh Gibson, Roberto Clemente, Willie Mays, or even Jackie Robinson? Oh, I forgot, baseball will never allow it...

I WANTED to love it!
I love baseball and I love baseball movies. So I was ready to love this movie, yet it somehow failed to please. Great actors, great period setting, yet we are not let inside the minds of the characters. Aside from John Cusak's Buck Weaver, none of the characters are even that appealing, so we don't really care what happens to them. We know nothing about their background, why they play baseball, or what drives them. In summary, the movie just wasn't that engaging. Since most of us know the rough outline of the story already, there are no surprises. The characters were so 2-dimensional, that I almost expected them to disappear when they turned sideways! Also, the DVD has no special features at all except for a movie trailer which is just a summary of the movie.

If you want a baseball movie with heart, get Field of Dreams. ... Read more

Amazon.com

In Saving Private Ryan, Steven Spielberg depicts the D-day landings with a realism lauded by veterans. The Big Red One depicts the D-day landings, too, and it was made by a veteran. Writer-director Samuel Fuller, who served in the First Infantry Division from North Africa to Czechoslovakia (including the Normandy landings), made a career out of swift, punchy B movies, such as Pickup on South Street and The Naked Kiss. The Big Red One became Fuller's nod to A-movie filmmaking, yet it has the solid, matter-of-fact perspective of the ground-level infantryman. The episodic action ranges all over the European theater, as a tough squad of American GIs (including Mark Hamill and Robert Carradine) follow their hard-bitten sergeant (Lee Marvin, at his best) and try to stay alive. Filmed mostly in Israel, the film delivers on the requisite war-movie conventions and tough-guy humor but also introduces notes of poetry. Fuller's D-day doesn't match the pyrotechnics of Spielberg's version, but it creates power from the simple image of a dead soldier's watch, ticking away in blood-soaked surf. A fine and memorable picture, The Big Red One might have been even greater had it been released in Fuller's full-length cut--someday perhaps a restoration will allow the director's vision to be seen for the first time. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (41)

Big acting by Marvin; Red Normandy beaches; One good ending
Sarge (Lee Marvin), first saw combat near the end of WWI. Now, years later, in North Africa in WWII he is a grizzled, war weary, seen it all veteran. Nevertheless, he's still resolute in his duty and a proud wearer of the Red #1 arm patch insignia of the US 1st Infantry Division. He is leader, father, mother, coach and whatever else he needs to be to get his rifle squad through the war. The four principal characters of interest are Griff (Mark Hamill), an expert riflemen but one who can't shoot the enemy if he sees his eyes; he calls it murder, Sarge says otherwise. There is Zab (Robert Carradine) who's main purpose is narrator, his musings provide background and setting; the other two are Johnson and Vinci. We follow this group throughout the movie and the war from North Africa, Sicily, Normandy, Belgium and finally to a concentration camp in Czechoslovakia for a series of emotionally powerful concluding scenes.

There is no glorification of war here; indeed the message is very clear - the only glory in war is surviving. The movie is very creative in introducing characters whose sole purpose, with their demise, is to underline this message. The short careers of both Lemchek and Kaiser are cases in point. The battle scenes are weak and unrealistic but that's not the emphasis. The action scenes that are memorable are the ones with a subtle message; the camera focusing in on the dead soldiers wristwatch in the surf of Normandy, the water turning red with the passing of time; the scene at the asylum in France and the concentration camp scene where Griff overcomes his compunction about shooting while seeing the whites of his enemies eyes.

It's a well crafted movie, with some strong acting from Lee Marvin and Mark Hamill and a movie which delivers it's message in a well thought out and strong ending.

Awe Inspiring Title, Segmented Movie
In World War Two the US 1st Infantry Division earned its colors in constant battle from North Africa, Sicily and Northern Europe. Because of its distictive shoulder patch the division became known as The Big Red One. Samuel Fuller's motion picture of the same name does not quite hit the mark with respect to conveying the battle scars endured by the division. Fuller focuses on a squad of soldiers, led by Lee Marvin (The Dirty Dozen), in a story told by one of the squad members, Robert Carradine (Revenge of the Nerds). The picture has potential. Indeed there is information to suggest that there is a longer uncut version of the movie mouldering away someplace. The film currently available on VHS and DVD -- the same version that was projected in movie theaters -- seems more like a television movie than major motion picture. Granted, the special effects were good for their day, but you do not have to look too far to see the obvious shortcomings. For the most part the dialogue is contrived and somewhat phony. Lee Marvin, a magnificent actor, was too old to play the part of a junior noncommissioned officer. In two of the beach invasion landing scenes (North Africa and Normandy) and despite a downward camera angle there is a total absence of ships to be seen anywhere on the water except for one token landing craft lingering in the distance. The greatest shortcoming of the film is that it is composed of a series of disjointed vignettes sewn together into one story. The most powerful part of the movie are the last minutes of the film when the squad liberates a concentration camp in Czechoslovakia. This scene alone could have been flushed out and served as the backdrop for a whole movie; or possibly been a vehicle for flashbacks of the what the squad had endured leading up to the end of the war. Filmed primarily in Israel THE BIG RED ONE reflects what appears to be a reflective personal journey designed to entertain the storyteller alone. With the exception of this film's stars, I found this movie very similar to A MIDNIGHT CLEAR. If you are a fan of war movies then this movie will probably find its way into your collection.

Worst war film ever?
This film is a disgrace, the combat is unrealistic and i'm sure the tanks in it are all the same for americans and germans alike. The narration is very annoying and quite pointless. I know the film is trying to put across an important message but it could have done it better; better actors for a start, Lee Marvin is not exactly my favourite. Overall leave this film alone, if you want to see a good war film watch Patton, A Bridge too Far or The Longest Day.

OVERALL SCORE: (B+)
This is one of the more stunning and profound cinematic portraits of the Second World War. It is an unflinching window into the surrealistic exploits of warriors in combat. This is by far a more worthwhile movie then many later attempts, that fail to emotionally grip you, instead relying on computer effects for drama.

OVERALL SCORE: (B+)

PLOT: (B), ACTING: (B-), DIALOGUE: (B-), SETTING: (C), ACTION/COMBAT: (B), ANTAGONISTS: (B), ROMANCE: (n/a), AGE LEVEL: (PG)

Other great war movies; The Longest Day (1962), We Were Soldiers (2002), Gallipoli (1981), Attack Force Z (1982), Cross of Iron (1976), A Bridge Too Far (1977), or The Dirty Dozen (1967).

The "Definitive" Bad Review
This is one of those movies that you either love or hate. I'm guessing the lovers like the interesting combat action and episodic nature of the movie, which keeps up a fast pace and allows for multiple locations and perspectives on the war.

Unfortunately, this movie is ruined by the Voice Narrator - none other than future star of "Revenge of the Nerds." Whether it's the actor chosen or bad direction, it is easily the most annoying voice over in "A-movie" history. Particularly since we have all seen this done much more effectively in war movies released since this picture was made in 1980. I have no doubt that these movies owe a debt to the Big Red One, with the directors saying, "Stop, you sound like the nerd in the Big Red One. Try it again."

My "favorite" scene: The squad delivers a baby during D-Day (you can't make this crap up folks-oh wait, I guess they did). Dialogue of soldier delivering baby: "Lady, I'm a hell of a lot more scared than you are...just take it easy." (uh, Hello, this film was robbed of an Oscar for screenwriting)

My "favorite" voice over narration line:
"We got a bunch of medals...not for delivering the kid, but for killing Krauts."

My all time "favorite" dialogue:
Soldier: "What's the French word for PUSH?"
Marvin Lee: "Pussay" (Which he repeats multiple times as we see the pregnant woman writhing in labor, her legs spread over Lee Marvin's shoulders...."pussay, pussay, pussay...he shouts" (now that's some serious double entendre, folks)

My "favorite" cowboy moment as the soldier's creep through enemy lines. Lee Marvin: "It's a bushwack." (not related to the labor scene folks)

My "favorite" movie message, from this actual dialogue at an insane assylum the GIs comes across in France:

Marvin: "Killing insane people is not good for public relations."
Soldier: "But killing sane people is?"
Marvin: "That's Right."

Wow, that's powerful stuff.

In summary, the acting is sophomoric (gotta love the off-screen screams when someone gets it - no, it's not your little brother playing in the other room--it's the movie), the writing and dialogue is stilted and corny and the tone/direction awkwardly switches from whimsical to melodramatic and back again.

Still, it's not bad Sunday afternoon viewing if you like war action and enjoy making fun of old movies - the best thing to do, though, is watch it with a remote control and hit mute every time the annoying/cloying narrator speaks. For added interest, print off a script of the movie and read the narration at the appropriate points, since on rare occassions the narrator does say something interesting. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Men of War stars tall, craggy Dolph Lundgren as a down-and-out commando who agrees to do another job because there's nothing else he knows how to do. He assembles a crack team and travels to an isolated Pacific island with orders to secure it for a mysterious business venture. But once there, he discovers an idyllic paradise with peaceful natives who welcome the mercenaries into their village. When Dolph learns what the venture is really about, he decides he's on the wrong side and, with part of his team, fights to defend the island from destruction. The first third of Men of War is drenched in sweaty machismo--the camera constantly lingers over rippling muscles and bruised skin during an endless bar fight. But once on the island, the mercenaries frolic sweetly with native children and the scenery is astoundingly beautiful (and beautifully filmed). A native who speaks English delivers some heavy-handed pacifist speeches. Then, as another team of more ruthless mercenaries arrive, the movie again turns into an ecstasy of gunshots and explosions--only, because of the genuinely charming middle third, there are actually some emotional stakes to the violence. Furthermore, the natives turn out to be not quite as peaceful as they presented themselves, adding some surprising layers to the movie's moral tone (likely due to the hand of co-screenwriter John Sayles, the man responsible for Brother from Another Planet and Lone Star). All in all, better looking and better written than any movie starring Dolph Lundgren has any right to be. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Andy Garcia delivers a good performance in a mediocre film.
After reading the reviews, I was disappointed in the disconnected and formulaic "serial killer" plot, strained dialog, and overwrought supporting characters in this film. The visual direction is effective and moody, but it's not enough to cover the film's narrative flaws. Garcia's performance is tense and involved, but the supporting cast's hysterical reactions and paranioa around this "big city cop" (whose beloved police chief is also from the big city) are bizarre. We are told very little about the other seven victims -- were any of them ever found? Thurman's character is intelligent but clingy and weak -- a dated stereotype -- in a town where the blind live in institutions. We are given little reason for Garcia's attachment to her other than a resemblance to his ex-wife -- a conflicted rationale that's never mentioned again or explored. The most interesting part of the film, in which Garcia explains the killer's life history and motives, is buried under concurrent competing dialog between supporting characters. The final scene, where Thurman and Garcia walk across a grassy hill and whe tells him that she "remembers the color red" has no emotional impact in any significant or relevant way to the rest of the film. Overall, a disappointing film.

SIMPLY AN ENTERTAINING PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER.
This film speaks for itself. Superb acting and well directed. A tense tightly scripted psychological thriller. Ex-LA cop Andy Garcia now living in a small town tries to solve a pair of local murders. His only hope is a blind woman who seems to be the key to the serial killer's activities. What is more she may be 'Jennifer Eight' the murderer's codeword for the next victim. This 2 hour film keeps you on the edge of your seat. Fantastic movie, entertaining not to dull although the ending could have been longer. The film finishes very quickly otherwise well worth watching.

Serial killer stalks blind women.
One determined cop sets out to crack the case and instead falls in love with a vulnerable, defenseless, blind woman. As the evidence mounts suspicion falls on the cop as the murderous fiend ! His life begins to fall apart and only he can stop the real mad-man even if it means taking the law into his own hands !

I had a hard time with this one. Mostly because so many of the characters in the film were maladjusted losers. The cops, the killer, the victims. They all blended together for me. It was an average story that the actors couldn't quite improve upon.

Great 'Detective' Film- Somewhat Visionary
'Jennifer 8' has a great cast and takes place in Humboldt County, California- so has some impressive scenery. The plot comes together like a finely slow cooked turkey (or potato), where at first you just get little whiffs of the magnum opus the dish is to become. The film is somewhat visionary in how it sculpts itself around magic north woods moments- the lone blind girl playing her viola before the window under the natural light; the lovers listening to 'silent night' on a quiet, north coast twilight eve; the initial drive through the redwoods; the final shots in the meadow- all these things help to capture that mystical attraction of the Humboldt region, all the while telling a very dramatic story of murder, courage, and love. A very different film that I would recommended.

Breathless, Sightless, Dead
Writer/Director Bruce Robinson, best known for his cult hit "Withnail & I", has crafted a creditable little thriller in "Jennifer 8". It gets all the technical elements right, features some fine work from its actors, and does its best to screw around with the genre. But it rarely adds up to anything more than the sum of its parts.

One of the strengths of Robinson's script is the stylish and effective dialogue he gives to his police officers. Most of the best bits come from the mouth of Sergeant Ross, like when he tells his wife he can't stay for dinner because it's "Friday night at City Hall... I've got a chance to frighten the fat." He's talking about securing a confession from a suspect, but it hardly matters, doesn't it? "Where are the ladies?" asks Sergeant Berlin, before a party. "Putting on the warpaint," comes Ross' reply. My favourite line, and probably the film's most ostentatious, is this little nugget which falls from the mouth of a visiting FBI investigator: "You're confused... you don't know if Tuesdays come in twos or happen once a week." It's the kind of raw poetry that Quentin Tarantino specializes in (or at least has learned to crib from Elmore Leonard).

Andy Garcia carries the movie on his shoulders. His John Berlin (quite the pregnant name, as the film was released three years to the month after The Wall came down; are John's walls ready to crumble too? Stay tuned...) is a rather complex man, burdened by a shady past that is slowly alluded to, but never fully explained ("I feel like I said sorry on every street in [Los Angeles]," is the closest he comes to an explanation). Berlin is a model of patience and intuition (although I didn't buy the one moment of inspiration that lead him to his key witness; it's a "movie moment" that takes away from the reality Robinson is trying to inject into the film), quiet and reserved for most of the film, but prone to fits of rage when pushed. It's almost like Garcia, fresh off of working with Al Pacino, was modeling his character on that actor's work as Michael Corleone in the first two "Godfather" films. That's high praise, indeed, but Garcia's work here deserves it.

Uma Thurman plays Helena Robertson, "the worst witness [Berlin's] ever had," a blind music teacher who may be the only witness able to identify the man that killed 'Jennifer'. And what fates do "only witnesses" usually have in suspense films? They're the next victim, of course! Which gives Berlin a great excuse to stay close Helena, and fall in love with her. Thurman here really only has two jobs: to look adorable and play blind credibly. The first, of course, she does with ease. I've always thought of Thurman as kind of a female-version of Keanu Reeves: she's at her best when not saying much, and letting her physicality and obvious screen presence carry much of the load. Which she gets to do here. As for that second job, portraying Helena's blindness, Thurman achieves some semblance of credibility there. Affecting a dead-eyed look, you believe her as a blind girl, albeit one with startling mobility.

Lance Henriksen does what Lance Henriksen does best: he makes a rugged, [angry], misanthropic and misogynistic cop, constantly stuck in fourth gear, come across as rather likable. In his hands, with that map of the world face and baritone voice, Sergeant Freddy Ross is almost endearing. He's a big fish in a small pond, the kind of small town man who would name his boat "Duke" and not think twice about vocally ogling the... of the local waitresses. He and Garcia have kind of an oil-and-water relationship, but Henriksen's over-the-top showiness meshes perfectly with Garcia's solemnity.

The one way in which the film doesn't play fair with its audience is in listing John Malkovich's name in the opening credits, and then making us wait eighty-minutes before the man shows up. But when he does, that distinctive whisper of a voice is heard before the face appears, it's vintage Malk.

He plays an FBI investigator named St. Anne, who locks horns with Berlin in several lengthy scenes. Watching Garcia match wits with Malk is a real treat, the latter man's cool and whimsical aura offering a perfect counterpoint to the former's repressed fire. In Malk's hands, St. Anne has seen it all, giving himself leeway to toy with Berlin, trying to catch him in verbal traps and constantly rolling his eyes. But, like Garcia, Malk is able to let his instrument loose, erupting in violent outbursts periodically, which show the character's true power. And in a silly bit of business, Malk, for some reason, chooses to play the latter half of his scenes with a rather comic stuffed nose.

Being an avid fan of the serial killer genre, I was looking forward to finally seeing "Jennifer 8". It lived up to my expectations, mostly, but for some reason I just couldn't fully give my heart to it. I liked it well enough, but it never gave me the visceral thrill I was hoping for. I suspect the reason for this is that this kind of story has been done many times before, often with much more verve and wit and fun. Seen in the shadows of the heavyweights of its genre, "Jennifer 8" is a workmanlike effort, sure to give a modicum of thrills. I recommend it on an intellectual level, but have my doubts about its effectiveness on an emotional one. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

over all a very positive movie
I think that it was a positive movie. Leon the Lover started out doing what his family wanted him to do and that was to be a doctor. Instead he became a boxer and succeeded against the odds and got the beautiful reporter played by his then wife Jayne Kennedy. She was excellent as well playing the nieve reporter out to interview the champion boxer and falling in love.

it was a good movie
I thought it was a good movie even though i never saw the origional

storyline and boxing choreography were fair; love nudity
movie was fair including the nude sequences and the boxing sequences ... Read more

Amazon.com

The Hearse is an example of a horror movie subgenre: the demon-possessed vehicle. When Jane Hardy inherits her late aunt's home, she faces just such a vehicle in the form of a vintage hearse. Tormented by the car and harassed by mysterious townsfolk, Jane has to unlock her aunt's hidden secrets or perish. Part of the suspense comes from wondering if Jane is being tormented by the supernatural, her fragile emotional state, or someone just trying to scare Jane off her property.

Possessed-car suspensers can be surprisingly effective and frightening. Unfortunately, this movie is a fairly low-budget effort, offering up many standard suspense techniques that were pretty shopworn even in 1980. The end result is a film that is predictable, and has few if any real chills. Notable only as one of Joseph Cotten's last films. --Mark Savary ... Read more

Reviews (7)

It's okay
Not that scary, but it's worth a look. Watch it alone in the dark.

Weren't there any good ghost movies in the 80s?
Trish Van Devere plays a divorcee who moves into an old house, and before long she's up to her neck in wicked ghosts from the past. Among the evil demons who pursue her is the chauffeur of the vehicle from the film's title. Joseph Cotton is on hand as a grumpy lawyer who presents obstancles to Van Devere's taking legal possession of the house. The film has a few frightening moments, but it's really just another routine haunted-house movie.

Decent Haunted House Movie, But Not Great
I had heard about this movie for a while but of course as with many of these classic horror movies, no rental stores carry it. So I ordered it for cheap and found that while it had faults, it was fairly entertaining. Trish Van Devere was in another haunted house movie also from 1980 called The Changeling with her then-husband George C. Scott. The Changeling is regarded by many (including myself) as one of the greatest haunted house movies of all time. Here she gets top billing and plays a woman who inherits a home in a small creepy town where all is not what it seems. Now this movie can't compare at all to The Changeling and I won't even try to do so, but there are a few suspenseful scenes that make this movie worth a look. Van Devere's acting and beauty is well portrayed here, but some of the other characters in this film are quite over the top and take away from the believability factor. You kind of get the feeling that the movie didn't take itself seriously at times. This is especially true during some of the chase scenes as they feel kind of haphazardly edited together thereby making them seem less scary. Then there's the music which is effective at times with its simple piano score, but then changes to typical Friday the 13th like piercing music that makes the movie feel annoying and cheap. As for the ending, it could have made more sense than it did, but overall The Hearse is well worth a look. They just don't make these type of old fashioned haunted house movies anymore.

The DVD like I said is cheap, but has somewhat decent video quality. Some scenes look pretty bad while others look a bit sharper, but overall the color scheme to this one is pretty bland. The sound is mono, and really sounds as you would expect a low budget movie from 1980 to sound. The only extra is the trailer, which is probably best not to watch until AFTER you see the movie. Still not a bad value for what it costs.

This creepy vehicle a nifty, nostalgic sleeper.
For a quite a long while (say twenty or so years) it looked like Crown International's The Hearse was the last of a dead breed, the low-key, character/mood oriented ghost story. Wrongly overlooked when first released in 1980, the movie suffered from having a PG rating when pushing the boundaries of special effects was all the rage. Audiences wanted flowing blood, not creepy chills. Well times have changed and now, thank goodness, creepy, subtle character oriented ghost stories are back in style, which makes The Hearse's return to commercial release all the more welcome.

A woman recovering from a near nervous breakdown chooses to do so in a dead relative's country home. However the townsfolk are far from friendly (save for the local minister, a young boy, and a handsome neighbor). Making things even more difficult are the strange dreams, spectres, and a hearse's scar faced driver that harrass the poor woman. Emphasizing character and mood, The Hearse is a near classic that is only hampered by a two swift climax (in fact, although the plot is nearly complete, it looks as if several scenes were shortened) and a too enigmatic ending. Still, fans of old-fashioned ghost stories will love having this movie in their collection. Recommended.

Good acting & mood, a bit anti-climactic
Trish Van Devere does a terrific job as the lead, and the supporting cast is uniformly convincing. The hearse itself is somewhat creepy, and the story is entertaining. Unfortunately, the climax is abrupt and a bit of a let-down. The film also suffers a bit from the "tameness" of many movies from this period. Ironically, today it would doubtless be more graphic and technically superior, but the acting and mood would likely suck. I recommend this as a "suspense" movie, but it's not really scary, just a little creepy. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Andy Garcia delivers a good performance in a mediocre film.
After reading the reviews, I was disappointed in the disconnected and formulaic "serial killer" plot, strained dialog, and overwrought supporting characters in this film. The visual direction is effective and moody, but it's not enough to cover the film's narrative flaws. Garcia's performance is tense and involved, but the supporting cast's hysterical reactions and paranioa around this "big city cop" (whose beloved police chief is also from the big city) are bizarre. We are told very little about the other seven victims -- were any of them ever found? Thurman's character is intelligent but clingy and weak -- a dated stereotype -- in a town where the blind live in institutions. We are given little reason for Garcia's attachment to her other than a resemblance to his ex-wife -- a conflicted rationale that's never mentioned again or explored. The most interesting part of the film, in which Garcia explains the killer's life history and motives, is buried under concurrent competing dialog between supporting characters. The final scene, where Thurman and Garcia walk across a grassy hill and whe tells him that she "remembers the color red" has no emotional impact in any significant or relevant way to the rest of the film. Overall, a disappointing film.

SIMPLY AN ENTERTAINING PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER.
This film speaks for itself. Superb acting and well directed. A tense tightly scripted psychological thriller. Ex-LA cop Andy Garcia now living in a small town tries to solve a pair of local murders. His only hope is a blind woman who seems to be the key to the serial killer's activities. What is more she may be 'Jennifer Eight' the murderer's codeword for the next victim. This 2 hour film keeps you on the edge of your seat. Fantastic movie, entertaining not to dull although the ending could have been longer. The film finishes very quickly otherwise well worth watching.

Serial killer stalks blind women.
One determined cop sets out to crack the case and instead falls in love with a vulnerable, defenseless, blind woman. As the evidence mounts suspicion falls on the cop as the murderous fiend ! His life begins to fall apart and only he can stop the real mad-man even if it means taking the law into his own hands !

I had a hard time with this one. Mostly because so many of the characters in the film were maladjusted losers. The cops, the killer, the victims. They all blended together for me. It was an average story that the actors couldn't quite improve upon.

Great 'Detective' Film- Somewhat Visionary
'Jennifer 8' has a great cast and takes place in Humboldt County, California- so has some impressive scenery. The plot comes together like a finely slow cooked turkey (or potato), where at first you just get little whiffs of the magnum opus the dish is to become. The film is somewhat visionary in how it sculpts itself around magic north woods moments- the lone blind girl playing her viola before the window under the natural light; the lovers listening to 'silent night' on a quiet, north coast twilight eve; the initial drive through the redwoods; the final shots in the meadow- all these things help to capture that mystical attraction of the Humboldt region, all the while telling a very dramatic story of murder, courage, and love. A very different film that I would recommended.

Breathless, Sightless, Dead
Writer/Director Bruce Robinson, best known for his cult hit "Withnail & I", has crafted a creditable little thriller in "Jennifer 8". It gets all the technical elements right, features some fine work from its actors, and does its best to screw around with the genre. But it rarely adds up to anything more than the sum of its parts.

One of the strengths of Robinson's script is the stylish and effective dialogue he gives to his police officers. Most of the best bits come from the mouth of Sergeant Ross, like when he tells his wife he can't stay for dinner because it's "Friday night at City Hall... I've got a chance to frighten the fat." He's talking about securing a confession from a suspect, but it hardly matters, doesn't it? "Where are the ladies?" asks Sergeant Berlin, before a party. "Putting on the warpaint," comes Ross' reply. My favourite line, and probably the film's most ostentatious, is this little nugget which falls from the mouth of a visiting FBI investigator: "You're confused... you don't know if Tuesdays come in twos or happen once a week." It's the kind of raw poetry that Quentin Tarantino specializes in (or at least has learned to crib from Elmore Leonard).

Andy Garcia carries the movie on his shoulders. His John Berlin (quite the pregnant name, as the film was released three years to the month after The Wall came down; are John's walls ready to crumble too? Stay tuned...) is a rather complex man, burdened by a shady past that is slowly alluded to, but never fully explained ("I feel like I said sorry on every street in [Los Angeles]," is the closest he comes to an explanation). Berlin is a model of patience and intuition (although I didn't buy the one moment of inspiration that lead him to his key witness; it's a "movie moment" that takes away from the reality Robinson is trying to inject into the film), quiet and reserved for most of the film, but prone to fits of rage when pushed. It's almost like Garcia, fresh off of working with Al Pacino, was modeling his character on that actor's work as Michael Corleone in the first two "Godfather" films. That's high praise, indeed, but Garcia's work here deserves it.

Uma Thurman plays Helena Robertson, "the worst witness [Berlin's] ever had," a blind music teacher who may be the only witness able to identify the man that killed 'Jennifer'. And what fates do "only witnesses" usually have in suspense films? They're the next victim, of course! Which gives Berlin a great excuse to stay close Helena, and fall in love with her. Thurman here really only has two jobs: to look adorable and play blind credibly. The first, of course, she does with ease. I've always thought of Thurman as kind of a female-version of Keanu Reeves: she's at her best when not saying much, and letting her physicality and obvious screen presence carry much of the load. Which she gets to do here. As for that second job, portraying Helena's blindness, Thurman achieves some semblance of credibility there. Affecting a dead-eyed look, you believe her as a blind girl, albeit one with startling mobility.

Lance Henriksen does what Lance Henriksen does best: he makes a rugged, [angry], misanthropic and misogynistic cop, constantly stuck in fourth gear, come across as rather likable. In his hands, with that map of the world face and baritone voice, Sergeant Freddy Ross is almost endearing. He's a big fish in a small pond, the kind of small town man who would name his boat "Duke" and not think twice about vocally ogling the... of the local waitresses. He and Garcia have kind of an oil-and-water relationship, but Henriksen's over-the-top showiness meshes perfectly with Garcia's solemnity.

The one way in which the film doesn't play fair with its audience is in listing John Malkovich's name in the opening credits, and then making us wait eighty-minutes before the man shows up. But when he does, that distinctive whisper of a voice is heard before the face appears, it's vintage Malk.

He plays an FBI investigator named St. Anne, who locks horns with Berlin in several lengthy scenes. Watching Garcia match wits with Malk is a real treat, the latter man's cool and whimsical aura offering a perfect counterpoint to the former's repressed fire. In Malk's hands, St. Anne has seen it all, giving himself leeway to toy with Berlin, trying to catch him in verbal traps and constantly rolling his eyes. But, like Garcia, Malk is able to let his instrument loose, erupting in violent outbursts periodically, which show the character's true power. And in a silly bit of business, Malk, for some reason, chooses to play the latter half of his scenes with a rather comic stuffed nose.

Being an avid fan of the serial killer genre, I was looking forward to finally seeing "Jennifer 8". It lived up to my expectations, mostly, but for some reason I just couldn't fully give my heart to it. I liked it well enough, but it never gave me the visceral thrill I was hoping for. I suspect the reason for this is that this kind of story has been done many times before, often with much more verve and wit and fun. Seen in the shadows of the heavyweights of its genre, "Jennifer 8" is a workmanlike effort, sure to give a modicum of thrills. I recommend it on an intellectual level, but have my doubts about its effectiveness on an emotional one. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Ed Asner Rules!! Great Film!!
Ed Asner rules as a workaholic whose wife suddenly dies and comes back to haunt him to slow down and start to spend more time with his family.Also starring Mariete Hartly and Jodie Foster.It's a great film!! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

I thought the movie was okay.
The performences were good and the storyline was somewhat different from the original, overall I enjoyed the film just as I did the first.

Dissapointing
This movie isn't even a third as good as the first one. Don't waste your time watching it. ... Read more